


Murdoc One-Shots

by Frosty_Mac



Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Mac and Jack - Freeform, Pre-Phoenix, Whump, army days
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-16
Updated: 2020-03-01
Packaged: 2021-02-27 18:42:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22760413
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Frosty_Mac/pseuds/Frosty_Mac
Summary: A Series of One and Two shots involving Murdoc and Mac. Because this fandom is lacking in Murdoc.
Comments: 8
Kudos: 31





	1. First Encounter

Mac couldn’t get comfortable. No matter how hard he tried, nothing he wore felt right. The rough polyester cotton blend of his uniform had become the only thing he wore. Now, being back home, it wasn’t the bed that was uncomfortable. It was his clothes.

Everything was too soft. Too flimsy. Sometimes it felt like they were suffocating him, others felt like they were going to fall off if he kept walking around. Bozer tried to help, but he didn’t know what to do. The only thing Mac could tolerate was a cheap cotton undershirt and his uniform pants. Flip flops were a huge no. Work boots, his regulation boots, and tennis shoes were all he could handle in that area.

Plus, regular pants didn’t have the same storage capacity that his uniform pants did. But when Bozer wanted to take him shopping for new clothes, Mac didn’t fight his best friend and he let Bozer drag him into a department store. 

Which is how Mac found himself in the middle of a store robbery, hiding behind a rack of clothes, fumbling for his Swiss army knife.

Mac had been following his best friend around the mens section, watching his friend grab various articles of clothing and talking to himself about how he assumed Mac was still the same size, and what he thought Mac could handle wearing, when Mac heard the distinct sound of a gun cocking. He grabbed Bozer’s shoulders and shoved him down to the ground, kneeling next to him.

“Mac! What the..” Bozer said after being unceremoniously thrown to the floor, then hearing the gun fire. Bozer’s eyes went wide, looking at Mac with fear. 

“Stay here, go hide behind some clothes, but do not come out. Got it?” Mac said softly, waiting for Bozer to nod before turning around and slowly walking towards the front of the building. 

He quietly crept up to the closest clothing rack and peered over. He could see four sales associates huddled up in a group behind the counter, but he couldn’t be sure there weren’t more somewhere else out of sight. He counted nine customers down on their stomachs in front of the shooter, who was claud in black, holding a Smith n Wesson 380 at them, and had another strapped to his left thigh.

The ski mask over his face made Mac roll his eyes. Why do they always wear ski masks? They’re stereotyping themselves.The jacket the man was wearing looked bulky, almost as if he had a vest on underneath. Mac frowned at that observation.

“Get me the money from the cash registers. All of them.” He said in a gruff voice, waving the gun at the workers. 

MacGyver started assessing the gunman. He kept looking back over his shoulder, but he didn’t seem nervous. He seemed to be looking for someone. He held the gun in one hand, the other was gripping something on his hip. Mac unzipped his pants pocket and drew out his Swiss Army Knife, already formulating a plan. He crept back to Bozer and told him to call the cops, while grabbing t-shirts off a shelf and ripping them into strips with his knife. 

“Mac, what’re you doin?” Bozer whispered, getting his phone out of his pocket. 

“You’ll see. Just call the police, and be quiet.” Mac answered, focused on keeping his task as quiet as he could. Once he ripped the shirts, he crawled on his knees to the hanging racks and started unscrewing some of the bolts, but left enough so that the racks wouldn’t fall apart. He put the screws in his pocket and crawled back to Bozer who was now off the phone.

“Mac, they said they’re on their way, but they’ve gotten three other calls that this store is being robbed. I think there are more shooters in here in other areas.” Bozer looked worried.

Mac cursed under his breath. “Okay. I need you to call a number for me.” He recited the number while taking the strips of cloth and putting some of the bolts on each one. 

“Who am I calling again?” Bozer asked softly, waiting for the person to pick up.

“Just tell him the Shepard needs his sheep and where we are. He’ll get it. If he asks you any other questions just try and answer them. Oh, and tell him to bring his babies.” Mac whispered, ignoring the complete confusion written on his best friends face. 

Mac, though he would never shoot a gun, carried around a couple bullets with him in his pocket just to be super careful. You never know when you might need some gun powder or a shell casing. Taking his knife, he cut open the bullets and poured a little of the gunpowder on each pile of screws. He then tied all of the strips of cloth up and was left with ring box sized balls with about 3 inches of fabric hanging from the knot.

He grabbed his cigar lighter and punctured a hole near the top of the plastic piece with the tip of his knife and poured a tad on each end of his little fabric balls. He could hear Bozer talking on the phone, but it all started to get quiet. Like the calm before the storm.

He knew how he was going to take out the gunman, but how to get the people out of the way. He needed to figure that out. He started doing calculations in his head, and didn’t notice when Bozer was calling his name. “-ac. Mac!” Bozer whipsered violently.

Mac turned to look at him. “What?”

“Your pal wants to know how many guys?” Mac shrugged.

“Tell him unknown but I think maybe 7-12.” Bozer turned back to his phone, and Mac scooped up his cloth balls, crawling back to the counter. The lady who had been getting the cash from the registers was emptying the last one, and the shooter seemed frustrated. 

Mac was trying to figure out how to get all of the people behind the counter or in the racks of clothes away from the man, when he started shouting. “All of you! Behind the counter!” 

Mac couldn’t believe his luck. Which is why he knew something was up. Why weren’t they leaving after they got the cash? Why stay and keep hostages? Mac let his brain go through the possible outcomes of that, while he grabbed his almost empty lighter and lit the end of one of his shirt balls. He waited till the ends were almost completely engulfed with flames before throwing it behind the shooter, and lighting another one.

The man didn’t notice it till it was too late. The fire reached the gunpowder and sent the screws and bolts flying in every direction. He heard the people behind the counter scream, and the shooter yell out in pain. Mac tossed the second one, this one exploded before it hit the ground. 

While the shooter was occupied, Mac ran up and tackled him to the ground, gripping his wrist and knocking the gun out of his hand. Gripping the gun, Mac punched his jaw and then pistol whipped him in the temple, effectively knocking the man out. He tossed the gun to the side and leaned back on the balls of his feet, catching his breath for only a moment before he stood up and walked over to the gun.

Scooping it up, he released the clip and shoved it in his pocket, then un-chambered the round and let it fall in his palm. He inspected the bullet before putting it in his pocket and putting the gun on the counter. “It’s safe to come out now.” He said, going back to the shooter and taking his other gun and the holster, and strapped it to himself. The gun was only for precaution. To be used in a worse case scenario.

Mac turned the man on his side to see what his other hand had been gripping, and his stomach dropped. “Boze! Give me your phone. Now!” He shouted, grabbing the device off the shooters belt and checking it front and back. Bozer came running out from behind the racks of clothes and handed Mac his phone.

Mac wordlessly dial the number, and anxiously waited for the person to pick up. 

“Bozer?” He heard Jack say. 

“Jack, he had a kill switch. I’ve got ten minutes to find the device before everyone in here dies and we have another Attalla.” Mac could hear Jack swear over the phone.

“Dammit Mac. What side are you on?”

“Uh, the northeast entrance. The one with the weird ‘modern art’ sculpture by the doors. But Jack, I think there’s more than one guy in here. And this place is huge. You have a team with you?”

“I got a few warm bodies with me, yeah. I’ll be there in two. Try not to get shot before I get there.”

Mac tried to followed Jack’s advice, really. He did. But almost right after he hug up with Jack, one of the shooters buddies came over, took stock of the scene, and pulled out his gun.

“Get down!” Mac yelled, grabbing one of his makeshift shrapnel grenades and lighting it, while running towards where Bozer had been standing, throwing it backwards at shooter number two. Mac could hear the shots being fired, but kept running down the aisle for a few seconds, before stopping and crouching behind the shelf of shirts he and Bozer were at earlier. 

He heard his explosive go off, a shout of pain and anger, and then silence. The only thing he could hear was the soft music playing over the sound system of the store. “Don’t worry be happy. Don’t worry be happy now…” Mac thought the song was somewhat ironic. He slowly stood up and peered over the shirts. Not seeing anyone, Mac stepped out from behind the shelves and crept forward. Bozer made a move to follow Mac, but Mac put his hand out behind him to stop him from coming with him.

“Mac!” Bozer whispered harshly, watching his friend walk towards the big guy with a gun. Mac peered over one of the stacks of jeans. He could see the remnants of the bomb, but the man wasn’t there. As Mac turned around, he heard the sound of the gun go off, then a sharp pain pierce the side of his shoulder. Ducking down, he ran into the open area, clutching his arm, and trying to draw the shooter out and away from Bozer and the other people.

For the most part, the shooter seemed to follow him as he weaved in and out of the shelves and racks, firing when Mac would come out into the open. Mac slid behind a perfume counter, laying flat down so he wasn’t as visible through the glass. 

The shooter started whistling along to the song as he crept towards Mac. He found it unnerving. Mac could hear him reloading his gun, and slowly walking towards his hiding place. He slowly slid backwards trying to be quiet as he tried to get somewhere with a better cover, but the throbbing in his arm was making it difficult to focus. The shooter kept whistling as he got closer and closer to Mac’s position. 

Mac could feel the blood seeping into the side of his shirt as it started to form a small puddle on the ground. Mac peered up and looked through the glass. The man, also dressed completely in black, was turned the other direction. “Oh Mr. army man. Come out come out wherever you are.” He said in a voice that make Mac shiver involuntarily. Mac slowly sat up and crawled out from behind the counter, poised to run when the shooter suddenly turned to his right. Turning back to give Mac a creepy smile before running to the left down the walkway, shouting back at Mac. “This isn’t over.” 

Confused, Mac slowly stood up and looked around. He sighed in relief when he saw Jack, vest on, and gun in hand sweeping the permitter with five other guys. When Jack noticed Mac, his smile quickly turned into concern when he noticed the blood coming out from between the kids fingers that was tightly gripping his arm.

Noticing the pale pallor of his friend, Jack holstered his gun while running over to Mac. Mac’s head hurt, and he couldn’t figure out why he couldn’t focus his eyes on his friends face even though he was right in front of him. Suddenly out of no where, Mac had the overwhelming urge to release the contents of his stomach. 

Jack saw Mac’s face turn green, seconds before he hunched over and threw up on the ground. He just rubbed Mac’s back in a comforting gesture. Once Mac was done, he straightened up shakily, still unable to focus on anything clearly. “Hey pal. You okay? I thought I told you not to get shot.” Jack’s voice sounded foggy. Like he was across the room. 

Mac managed a weak smile. “Not my fault. Too many civilians in here. I had to keep the guy distracted.” Mac’s words came out breathy and sluggish. Next thing he knew he was sitting on the ground and Jack was crunched in front of him, one hand on Mac’s knee, the other holding a cell phone. Mac felt tired. His eyelids did not want to stay open. Jack’s hand moved off his knee and cupped Mac’s face. “-th me? Mac. You with me?” Mac met the older man’s gaze and groaned. 

“Oh yeah. He’s out of it, Patty. Send a Medical team. This isn’t just from being shot. There’s gotta be something else wrong.” The person on the other line started talking again and Jack responded quickly, then hung up, focusing his attention on his fallen comrade. 

Mac couldn’t focus. There was a slight buzz in his ears. Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew that was wrong. Something was wrong, but he couldn’t focus enough to figure it out. He vaguely remembered Jack gently moving his hand that was clutching his arm off, and wrapping it with something, and Bozer saying something, though Mac couldn’t remember when he got there, before giving into the black that had slowly been creeping up on the edges of his vision.


	2. Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 2

Mac woke up when Jack slapped him. He sluggishly brought his hand up to his cheek. "What the hell Jack?" He mumbled, having a hard time opening his eyes even though he was awake and alert. His left cheek was stinging, so he started rubbing it.

"Mac. Hey, you gotta wake up man. Medics'll kill me if I don't keep you conscious." Mac could see Jack's form. Well, part of it, and there were two of him.

"Jack. I'm, awake." Mac was getting frustrated at his lack of control over his body and the slowness of his words.

"You wanna open those baby blues for me man?"

"Can't."

Jack paused, taking a long look at his friend. He grabbed his wrist and felt his quick pulse. "You can't open your eyes anymore?"

Mac slowly shook his head. His mind started whirling through what his problem could be, document all of his limitations. Droopy eyelids, muscle weakness starting from the top of his body, nausea, but fully conscious. His stomach dropped with dread when he figured it out. He immediately started going over his actions the last twenty-four hours, trying to figure out when he could have gotten the poison.

Jack, who had been staring at his friend intently for the past few minutes watching the wheels turn in Mac's head, noticed the already pale face go even whiter and grabbed his wrist again. "Mac?" He said in a small voice. "What's going through that big head of yours?"

Mac tried to speak but it came out as a croak. Another one of the signs. A decreased production of saliva causing dry mouth and throat. He slowly grasped Jack's hand weakly, needing some kind of lifeline to hold on to, to make sure he could still feel things, and that he wasn't alone. "Water." His voice was slurred. His tongue felt like it was slowly becoming numb.

"Hey, Box, can you find somethin' for Mac to drink?" Jack turned to the tall man in jeans and an army green t-shirt.

"Sure, Jack. Anything for Hollywood." The man said with a smile, using Mac's army nickname.

Mac was confused. "Boxer's here?"

Jack turned to look at his friend, smiling even though Mac couldn't see it. "Yeah, man. Who do you think secured the place till the cops got here? I got the whole gang together. I was gonna surprise you later for dinner. I know you've been having a rough time after coming back home, and I thought maybe seeing the guys might help a little. In hindsight, that really may have not been the best idea, but it sure came in handy today."

Jack watched as Mac started laughing one second, then gasping, wrapping an arm around his middle the next. He watched in horrified fascination as Mac's face developed a strange look, almost like a cringe but he was unable to move his face, as he cried out softly in pain. "What's wrong?" Mac could barely hear Jack over the loud ringing in his ears. "Mac. Talk to me man."

Mac leaned back, suddenly aware of the bandage circling his bicep where his GSW was, and trying to take deep breaths. "Check on Bozer." Mac slurred out once again. "Think.. poisoned."

Jack felt the blood drain from his face. "With what Mac? What were you poisoned with?" Jack got a firm grip on his emotions and went full Delta operator on Mac when he failed to answer him. "MacGyver! Report. What were you poisoned with?"

Mac's military training kicked in when he heard Jack's command, reverting back to military speech. "Botulism sir. Possibly ingested at 0800 today." Mac tried to speak clearly, but it came out more like, "Btulsm sr. Posbly ingstd at 0800 tday." His tongue was beginning to feel like lead, and the urge to throw up once again was slowly growing. He tried to take another deep breath, but the air-dried his throat, even more, causing a coughing fit.

He hunched over, the hacking noises he was making worrying himself and Jack who had stood up to grab the bottle of water Box was handing to him, rapidly turning the cap to open it and kneeling back down in front of him. He gently eased Mac back to lean against the glass counter, putting the bottle to his lips. "Alright, Mac. Drink up. But slowly." Mac obeyed, slowly sipping the water, but quickly realized that his throat had swelled a little from his breakfasts second appearance.

The water calmed the coughing attack, making it easier for Mac to breathe. Jack pulled the bottle away from Mac's mouth, putting the cap back on and watching Mac's chest rise up and down harshly. "Jack."

"Yeah, pal. I'm right here."

"Botulism. I won't be able to talk soon. When are the medics gonna get here?"

"Any minute, Mac. I'll call and see." Jack pulled out his phone and was about to call the ambulance when someone came bursting through the doors. Jack scrambled to his feet, grabbing his gun out of its sheath an aiming towards the noise. Letting out a quiet sigh of relief, he re-sheathed his gun and waved at the two paramedics. "Over here." He squatted down to Mac's eye level and gripped his knee. "The EMTs are here pal."

Jack moved over to the left to make room for them as the man rolled a stretcher with a bag on it near Mac, set the bag down and started looking for something, and the woman knelt in front of Mac. "Alright. My name is Sally, this is Zach. Can you tell me what happened?"

Mac groaned when Sally gently took the bandage covering his wound off to get a better look at it. "He was shot roughly ten minutes ago, and he said he thinks he was poisoned with Botulism. I don't know when though." Jack answered. She nodded, motioning for the Zach to come over. "We need to get this shoulder wrapped and check for other injuries. Probable clostridium botulinum bacteria poisoning. Pulse is 98, eyelids drooping, have you experienced abdominal pain? Nausea or vomiting?"

"All of the above." Mac slurred yet again.

"Okay. We're gonna get you on a stretcher and strap you down. Is that alright?"

Mac tried to nod but found that moving his head made it throb, so he just hummed his agreement. While Sally got MacGyver on the ground, back down, Zach grabbed the hard plastic piece from the top of the stretcher and spread it open above Mac's head so the two halves were on either side of him. He moved the right, Sally moving to the left, and they carefully pushed the halves together underneath Mac. "We're going to lift you up and put you on the gurney, okay?" Sally said, placing a hand on Mac's calf in reassurance.

"Yeah. Jack." Mac mumbled out, trying to move his hand towards the man he was calling out for. Jack all but rocketed from his spot behind the paramedics over to Mac's side as Sally and Zach lifted up on either end of the board underneath him. "Hey, pal. I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere." Jack watched as they laid the board on top of the gurney and spread it apart, gently letting Mac fall onto the plush part, never releasing his grip on Mac's hand.

Jack was having a hard time remembering that Mac was fully conscious and not about to pass out. As they were rolling Mac out, Bozer ran out from the blockade of bodies, seeing his friend being wheeled out on a gurney. "Mac! Jack, what's wrong with Mac?" Bozer was shouting as he dashed from one side of the store to the other.

"I'm right behind you Mac okay? I gotta go talk to Bozer." He squeezed Mac's hand before releasing it. "You don't leave without me, got it? You don't go anywhere with him without me." He said to Zach who nodded as they went out the sliding glass doors. Jack caught Bozer at a full run by the shoulders, causing both Jack to stumble backward a few steps.

"Jack! What're you doing? I need to go with Mac!" Bozer said, trying to push Jack out of the way.

"Hey hey hey. Boze. You can come with us, alright?" Bozer stopped struggling in Jack's grasp, finally stopping to listen to what Jack was saying. "But only on one condition okay? You have to do exactly what I say, even if it seems strange. Alright?" Bozer gave Jack a wary glance.

"Fine, but why?"

Jack sighed, releasing his grip on Bozer's shoulders, and letting his own slump down. "The last time Mac was in a hospital was after a mission gone wrong. It wasn't pretty, and Mac barely made it out. The hospital stay was rough on Mac, and if he's fully awake, but can't actually communicate with us for a while. It might bring back some bad memories. If I say get out, then you get out of that room, got it?"

Bozer looked wary but agreed. "Alright, Jack. I'll 'follow orders'. I'll meet you at the hospital. I'm gonna drive my car over. I don't want to leave it here."

Jack gave Bozer's shoulder a squeeze before following him out the door and hopping in the back of the ambulance. "Alright, Mac. Did these evil elf people annoy you to death with their nursing mumbo jumbo?" Jack heard Mac's sad attempt at laughter, before gasping for air. Sally turned and grabbed an oxygen mask, gently placing it over MacGyver's face. After a few deep breaths, Mac's body started relaxing and his breathing got easier.

"So. Botulism huh? Do you think you got it by accident? Or do you think someone poisoned you on purpose?"

Mac's tongue felt like it was made of lead, but managed to get out a 'second one' somewhat coherently. Jack looked at him with a small amount of fear in his eyes. "Do you know who?" Mac shook his head. No. He didn't know. But he figured the guy who shot him had something to do with it.

"Well, we'll figure it out once you can actually move your face again." Jack laughed a little and noticed the sides of Mac's mouth go up just a little. Jack kept rambling on, refusing to let Mac get lost in his big head, and didn't shut up until he was forced to wait outside Mac's room at the hospital. Jack grabbed a chair and sat right outside Mac's room, looking up over his shoulder at the smallest noise.

Thirty minutes later, the doctor came out of Mac's room. Jack quickly stood up, shoving his phone in his pocket and began asking about Mac. The doctor held up his hand. "He'll be alright. It will take a few days for the antidote to fully make its way through his system but we caught it early enough. We're going to sedate him and stitch up his arm, but nothing so far requires surgery."

Jack let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Sedatives work funny with him. You should up your normal dose. He won't stay out nearly as long as you think." Jack paused for a second. "Can, can I see him?"

"Sure. He's on oxygen, and the medication may make him tired, or it may make him hyper. It's different with everyone."

Jack rolled his eyes. "With his luck, it'll make him hyper and he'll get stuck in his own head." He was about to push the door open when he paused. "Wait. When will the droopy face stuff go away?"

"Hopefully within the next couple of hours."

Glad to hear the good news, Jack nodded and opened the door to his partner's room. Mac was reclined up on the hospital bed, an IV in his left arm, a nasal canal on his face, his bicep freshly bandaged, and several wires poking out of the top of his hideous blue and white hospital gown. "Hey, pal! How ya doin?"

If Mac could move, he would have rolled his eyes. "Yeah yeah yeah. I know. You can't talk right now. You know, this is gonna be a very one-sided conversation, and you can't respond so that means, I can talk about whatever I want!" Jack flopped down on the chair next to Mac's bed. "And you can't stop me either." Jack grinned even though he knew Mac couldn't see. "So. I know you're not secret about your nerdiness, so I'm gonna assume you like Star Wars? Yes?" He looked at Mac for a few seconds. "I'm not hearing a no so I'm gonna take that as a yes. Alright. Let's get a few things straight. The original trilogy is a hundred times better than the prequels, Greedo shot first, and Star Wars is better than Star Trek. Also, just so we're clear, Die Hard and my man Bruce Willis is still my favorite. Personally, my favorite is A New Hope. Everyone is totally badass, and Vader, gah! Man. He is awesome." Jack paused, looking at his friend for a minute in silence. The monitor connected to Mac's chest started to beep faster, alerting Jack to his friend's dislike of the lack of sound.

"Hey. I'm still here buddy. What'da think. Should we watch Star Wars? I'm gonna see if they have it on this fancy TV." He reached for the remote which was on the tray on the other side of Mac's bed. Turning the TV on, he flipped through the list of movies they had. "Ah-ha! They have episode 4! You good with that?" He looked over at Mac, who was starting to get annoyed with the one-sidedness of the conversation. "Didn't hear a no, so imma take that was a yes!" Pressing a few buttons, he finally got the movie to start.

Mac appreciated Jack's constant banter about stuff. It kept him grounded, even if he couldn't reply back. If he's being honest, Jack's jokes about Mac not being able to respond were kind of funny, if not annoying. He heard the opening scene and pictured the yellow words scrolling on the screen as Jack read them out loud to him. As he listened to the movie, his other senses started working overtime. He could feel Jack's body heat sitting next to him, he could feel and hear the cool air blowing in through the ducts on the right wall, the pinch of the IV, the small weight of the sensors on his chest, and the gentle stream of oxygen coming in through the nasal canal that was pinching his nose.

Jack, noticing his partner's heart rate and breathing going up, rested his arm next to Mac's on the bed as Darth Vader ordered his troops around the Tantive IV*. The presence of Jack's arm seemed to be calming Mac down, so Jack moved his hand over Mac's and curled his fingers around his palm, giving it a small reassuring squeeze.

They watched the remainder of the movie in silence, Jack often giving Mac's hand a squeeze to remind him that he was there, and Mac just let his brain get lost in the movie. He forgot about his lack of mobility, forgot someone had purposely drugged him earlier that day or the day before and he didn't have the smallest clue why, and just got lost in the world of Star Wars. He felt safe enough to relax with the familiar presence of Jack by his side.

Mac didn't even realize he had control over his eyelids when they started to close all the way as the adrenaline crash and the exhaustion of the day caught up with him, till he heard the loud crash of a metal tray falling onto the tile floor. His eyes flew open and he pulled his hands to his sides and sat up, breathing heavily.

The first thing he noticed was Jack's surprised expression, and Bozer, now sitting next to Jack. Jack stood up and grabbed Mac's good forearm. "Mac? Ha! Mac!" Jack pulled Mac's arm to him and wrapped his arms around his shoulders, swaying back and forth, his laughter stemming from the release of nervous tension that had been filling the room since they had gotten there.

Mac returned the hug with fervor, burying his head in Jack's chest as he let loose the tears of fear that wouldn't come earlier. After a few moments, they released each other and Mac wiped his damp face, taking a deep breath and reigning in his emotions as Jack stepped back to let Bozer look at his friend. Mac smiled when he saw the huge goofy grin on his best friend's face. "Hey, Boze." Out of the blue Mac remembered leaving his friend in the clothing racks to go fight the gunman. "Are you okay?" Mac asked, giving his friend a worried once over. Bozer let out a short laugh. "Shouldn't I be asking you that question? You were just poisoned, and shot!" Mac gave him a sheepish look.

"I left you behind."

Bozer gave him a smiling glare. "Dude. If you hadn't left me behind I'd probably be dead! I'm just glad you're moving around again, and not stuck in some weird state of conscious unconsciousness." Bozer leaned down to hug Mac. Mac returned the hug but corrected Bozer on his inaccurate description of Mac's symptoms. Bozer and Jack rolled their eyes in sync, making Mac smile before a nurse walked in with a clipboard and a syringe.

Mac's smile vanished when he noticed the syringe and the nurse getting closer. "So, I see you have mobility now. Are there any limitations that you notice? Any pain?" Mac shook his head to both, looking at her with distain and a small touch of fear. Jack laid a hand on Mac's shoulder in a calming gesture. The nurse marked something on her chart and set it down on the table next to Mac's bed.

"This is a sedative to help you sleep." She said, taking the syringe and putting the end into Mac's IV drip port.

"I don't need a sedative!" Mac said, moving over to the side of the bed with the IV pole as if to stop her. Jack held his shoulder back, preventing Mac from moving too far. The nurse gave him a sideways glance and a smile as she pulled the syringe out and disposed of it. She came to the side of the bed and looked at Mac in the eyes. "Yes. You do. You were just poisoned with botulism, and your body needs time to recover and heal." She put a hand on top of his and looked him in the eyes. "Get some rest. The better you're doing the sooner you can leave." She smiled and left the room with the clipboard and a smile.

Jack looked back at Mac who was trying to fight the urge to lay down and sleep for a week. His eyelids were drooping closed but in a good way this time. Mac felt his limbs go limp and he would have crashed into the back of the bed, but Jack caught him and slowly laid him down, being careful not to hit his injured bicep or the IV.

"I'm gonna go grab something from the cafeteria. You want something?" Bozer asked, sensing Jack needed a minute alone with Mac. "Sure. Just get me something with meat." Bozer gave a small smile before exiting the room.

Jack looked down at the sleeping form of his brother. He ran a hand through the blonde locks and moved them out of Mac's face. "You're going to be the death of me one day." Jack grinned, the realization of the horrible situation being over and sat down next to Mac's bed, hoping to get a few moments of peace before being barraged with questions by his former team.

When Bozer walked back into the room with a burger for Jack, he found them both asleep. Not wanting to disturb them, he quietly placed the burger on the tray near Mac's bed and exited the room with a smile and a shake of his head.


	3. Sewers and Substances

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a tag to 2x04. I wasn't at all happy with how little H/C and Angst there was in this episode and how they came away unscathed so here's a scene where Mac doesn't escape on his first attempt.

Mac made it out the door before running into a wall. Seriously. Whatever Murdoc gave him was starting to get on Mac's nerves. He blinked his bleary eyes, trying to clear them as he put a hand out on the wall to steady himself. He looked down at the ground forcing his eyes to focus on what he was seeing. Cement. Putting one foot in front of the other he came to a large open room. In the middle of it was another chair with cuffs, and next to it was a rusty rolling cart with a black box on top. Mac couldn't make out the other objects on it or what was in the black box.

He walked over to it hoping to find something useful to help him get out, bracing both hands on the edges of the tray. When he felt a needle pierce the side of his arm he was too lethargic to panic. He just turned to look at Murdoc's coy smile before passing out, once again at the mercy of his worst enemy.

This time when he woke his arms were wrapped to the chair at his wrists and his torso and chest were wrapped to the chair, so were his thighs and ankles, effectively keeping him from moving everything but his neck, head, fingers, and toes. Murdoc was nothing if not thorough. Mac let his head hang on his chest a minute longer, trying to listen to his surroundings to get a picture of what else was new in the small room. He could hear Murdoc moving something closer to his chair and then moving something metal on metal before coming uncomfortably close to where Mac sat.

"I know you're awake. You're a terrible liar MacGyver. That's what makes this even more fun!" He exclaimed, standing up brandishing a tool that Mac couldn't quite make out at he sat up straighter and looked into Murdoc's dead, brown eyes. Mac kept his face straight and expressionless as Murdoc turned and grabbed another syringe off the cart and waved in in the air mockingly.

"Oleander leaf extract. It will take a few hours before you start feeling side effects, but that leaves me time to play with you before you start to feel nausea, the dizziness, the headaches, and the strange feeling in your chest that tells you that you're having cardiac failure that will slowly, painfully kill you if you don't get treated."

Mac just glared at him as he inserted the syringe into the IV that had been reconnected to his arm and strapped down with duct tape that wrapped around multiple times. When Murdoc finished, he inspected the syringe again, seeming to relish in the thought of torturing MacGyver to death. Mac kept his face free of emotion. Not that it was hard. Whatever Murdoc gave him made him feel all loopy and tired.

Murdoc set the empty syringe on the tray and grabbed something else. Mac couldn't tell what it was other than that it was small enough to fit in his hand. His vision was blurring, much to his chagrin, and he could barely keep his eyes open long enough to see Murdoc coming uncomfortably close to Mac's face. "Are you ready to have some fun, Angus?"

Mac spat whatever saliva he had left in his mouth into Murdoc's close face. Murdoc's face flushed with rage before returning to his normal, eerie calm with the coy smile. "Oh no no no. We can't have bad manners now can we?"

"Shut up Murdoc. I'm not gonna tell you anything." Mac slurred, leaning his head back and cracking his eyes open, trying to look him in the eyes, but his eyelids fell of their own accord. Murdoc laughed as he wiped the saliva off his face.

"Oh, MacGyver." He smiled. "You don't think I know that? You would never tell me of your own accord. Maybe you wouldn't even tell me under the influence. But either way, we're going to have a fun time together."

Mac heard the familiar click of a Swiss Army knife, and his stomach dropped even farther. "You're familiar with this particular tool MacGyver. I took it out of your pocket when my hired muscle took you from your home." Murdoc ran the flat, cool blade along his arm, barely cutting the sensitive flesh, playing with him. "Honestly, Mac," The use of his nickname by Murdoc made MacGyver's skin crawl, "Still living in the same place? That was a rookie move on your part." Mac opened his eyes and Murdoc's smile got wider as he pushed the blade deeper into the flesh, drawing more blood.

"Don't go passing out on me yet, MacGyver. I have so many games planned!" Mac watched him pull out the corkscrew, suddenly feeling nauseous with anticipation. Trying to keep his resolve not to make any noise, Mac watched as Murdoc inspected the tool, giving Mac an evil smile that made him want to shiver.

"This is one of my favorites. Any guesses why?"

Mac was getting tired of Murdoc's voice. "Do you always talk this much or do you just love the sound of your voice?"

"Well, yes. But I will love seeing the fear on your face when you realize what I'm going to do with you." he chuckled lightly, "It gives me a kind of thrill to scare you MacGyver." Then without warning, Murdoc lunged forward and drove the corkscrew into his left shoulder, slowly twisting it into his skin. Mac cried out, trying to breathe through the pain, but he was already dizzy and the added pain made it hard to breathe.

Murdoc slowly twisted the multi-tool, grinning as he watched MacGyver's face twist up in pain. Mac coughed, and gasped, trying to calm down as the corkscrew was being forced into his flesh. Mac closed his mouth, gritted his teeth, and refused to make any more noise. Murdoc noticed this. Determined to make his captive whimper, Murdoc starting moving the screw side to side, agitating the wound even more. Mac closed his eyes, unable to stop the choked, sobbing noise that escaped his lips. He didn't want to see the exhilarated expression on Murdoc's face.

A kick to the shin made Mac open his eyes. "I didn't say you could take a nap, did I? I want you awake, and I also want your eyes open for this, Angus."

Mac could feel the warm blood oozing down his shoulder, soaking into his back shirt. Murdoc let go of the knife, the weight of the other parts in the knife weighing it down, making the corkscrew move inside his shoulder causing more blood to flow out of the wound. Mac groaned, slowly taking deep breaths trying to even out his breathing and slow down the adrenaline rush he was getting that was making him jumpy. Movement was bad.

The darkness around the edges of his vision started growing, causing Mac to blink more often than not, trying to stay awake. "Oh, MacGyver. This is going to be so fun." Mac closed his eyes intending to pass out. But Murdoc had other ideas.

Mac awoke with the sudden urge to take a five-mile run. His legs were shaking with anticipation and his fingers were trembling. Wide awake, his eyes flew open to see Murdoc standing three feet away, Mac's blood now covered the Swiss army knife in one hand and a small pole with jumper cables attached to the end in the other hand. "Awake now are we? That adrenaline shot I gave you seems to be working very well." He walked up to him, laying the knife in between his legs and putting the pipe on his waist.

Grinning Murdoc turned around and fiddled with something connected to the other end of the jumper cables. He stepped to the side, revealing a modified car battery with a switch on the front. "What do you want?" Mac shouted.

Murdoc paused his fingers on the switch. He looked up at Mac. "What do I want? What do I want? I want to know where my son is. See, I care for my son. Unlike your father."

"You've already played the dad card, Murdoc. Do you have anything original?" Mac wasn't sure if antagonizing an international serial killer was the smartest idea, but he was still holding out hope that Jack would find him somehow, or that he could figure out how to escape.

"Don't test me, Angus. You don't want to see me mad." Murdoc warned, giving him a pointed stare before turning the battery on for a second before turning it off, sending an electrical shock to Mac's legs. Mac's eyes went wide and all the oxygen left his lungs, leaving him gasping for air. Murdoc laughed. "That was just a sampling! We can skip right to the main course if you'd like." He was about to turn it on again when Mac heard a ding. Murdoc paused, taking a phone out of his pocket and glancing at the screen.

He put the phone up to his ear. "Hello?" As if performing a mindless task, Murdoc flipped the switch up, carrying on with his conversation without batting an eye. "I don't deal with incompetent people. If you don't want me to kill your men don't send me a group of idiots." He spoke slowly and calmly. Murdoc turned over to look at MacGyver who was still shaking from the electrical current. Murdoc smiled at him, turning back around and flipping off the switch. "Oh. There won't be a next time." Murdoc hung up and turned around to face Mac who was gasping for breath.

"Don't worry, MacGyver. I'll be right back." Giving him another creepy smile he headed for the stairs.. "Don't go anywhere. We're not done playing the game." As soon as he left, Mac started moving his knees together to get his knife up higher where his wrist could reach it. He was having a hard time focusing on his task from the lack of oxygen and his blurry vision. Once he had it, he slid the tweezers out and tried to pick the lock of the cuff on his left wrist. His hand wouldn't stop trembling from the shock treatment Murdoc gave him, but he eventually got it unlocked.

He shook it off and cut the tape covering his IV, pulling the needle out and using it to unlock the other cuff. Panting softly, he quickly ripped the tape off his torso, chest, thighs, and ankles, thankful for the adrenaline keeping him awake and somewhat stable on his feet. Murdoc hadn't replaced the lock on the door he blasted off, so Mac was able to quietly open the door and slip out into the sewers.

While walking, he would stop to catch his breath then start again in a different spot like he was sleepwalking. Memory loss. He thought to himself. Not a good sign.

He kept an eye on the ceiling, looking for a manhole or an opening to climb out of. After ten minutes of agonizingly slow-walking progress, he was under a manhole. Too tired to smile, he started pushing up on it moving it up and over to the side, his eyes wincing at the harsh light seeping in.

He hoisted himself up, blinking rapidly as his eyes started watering. He felt disoriented as he tried to look around him, realizing he was on a street and cars were honking at him. He stumbled to the curb, calling out for help before collapsing in the street, writhing in pain but still shifting around in discomfort. Adrenaline has it's ups and downs. He thought he heard his name being called, but he couldn't be sure.

His eyes were fiercely closed, keeping out any kind of light. If his left shoulder and right arm didn't hurt so much he wouldn't covered his ears as a massive headache made itself known in the front of his skull. There it was again. His name. The caller sounded frantic, on the urge of panic, yet he also sounded angry. Jack. Mac weakly called out Jack's name, as he was suddenly surrounded by people touching him and asking him if he was alright.

"MAC!" He heard Jack's voice getting closer. With the last of his adrenaline rush, he yelled Jack's name, praying it was loud enough for him to hear as he succumbed to the overwhelming pain in his arm, shoulder and the incessant pounding in his head. After what Mac assumed was less than a minute yet seemed like an hour to him, he felt a familiar hand on his forehead, brushing back his hair. "Hey, pal. You scared me." Mac cracked his eyes open to see Jack's worried face looking down at him. "Jack," Mac said, suddenly remembering the Oleander poisoning, a frantic look on his face.

"What is it?" Jack asked, a frown of worry on his face as he scanned Mac's form, taking a mental note of his partner's injuries.

"Hospital," Mac said, forcing his eyelids open suddenly wanting to take a nap. Adrenaline crash.

"You got a fancy ride that's almost here bud. What's wrong? Other than the obvious shoulder and forearm injuries." Jack tore off his shop shirt, folding it up and pressing down on Mac's injured shoulder, gripping Mac's hand with his free one.

Mac drew a sharp breath, trying to keep his eyesight focused on his partner. "Oleander poisoning," Mac said through gritted teeth. Taking another deep breath. "Possible electrical injury on bottom torso and thighs." Mac kept listing his injuries as if giving a report. "Large open wound on the forearm, contusions on abdomen and wrists, obvious shoulder injury."

Jack gave his partner another concerned look. "Hey hey hey. Mac. Calm down. You're gonna be okay. Alright? I'm here." Mac's eyes were glassed over, and he seemed to be looking through Jack at something else. "Mac? You with me?"

"Multiple casualties, two GSW's that need to be attended to asap. Jack, this one is big. It's huge. The biggest one I've seen yet." Jack's heart skipped a beat. The world stopped. Nothing moved. Jack forgot about the small audience they had attracted, and all he could see was Mac.

"Mac. MAC!" He shouted. "Hey. Look at me. You're not there. You made it out. You're here. I'm here." Mac's dazed eyes met Jack's a tear rolling down the side of his face. "Hey. I'm right here." Jack said, letting go of his partner's now limp hand but keeping his other firmly on his shoulder, and ran a hand through Mac's hair again.

Mac's eyes still looked a million miles away. "Jack. Help me. Please." Jack's heart felt like it was being ripped in half.

"I'm here pal. I'm right here." He brushed the side of his friend's face wiping the tears, holding back his own as he realized his partner was stuck in a nightmare. "Right here, Mac. I'm still here. I've got you." Jack could hear the sirens getting louder, informing him that the EMT's would be there in a minute.

He had seconds to get Mac out of his daytime nightmare, or the kid would never forgive him for being trapped in memory in front of other people. "MacGyver." Jack shouted, using his 'Delta Commander' voice. Mac's body stiffened reactively and red eyes met his, slowly clearing up. "Jack," Mac said softly, reaching for his partner's hand. His eyelids were getting heavier, and the darkness seemed to pull at him like a fish caught on a hook. He fought to stay awake, keeping his eyes on Jack's face.

"Jack."

"Yeah, buddy. I'm still here."

"I'm- I'm sorry."

Jack gave him a confused look. "For what pal? Cause if it's because you'll never look this ruggedly handsome than I forgave you for that a long time ago, Hollywood."

Mac's lips turned up slightly for a second. "No. For Paris. I shouldn't have-"

Jack stopped him. "Woah Woah Woah. We both said somethings, you drank too much of that fancy wine, and yes I deserve an apology. But right now I'm just glad to see your ugly ass face alive and breathing. And you still owe me a warm beer when we're done with this mess." Mac cracked a smile, but it only lasted a second before it returned to its pained grimace.

Just then the ambulance pulled up. "See that? Medics are here to dope you up on drugs." The two medical personnel ran over to them. One of the EMT's crouched down next to him, while the other set up the gurney. "Do you know what happened to him? Do not stop putting pressure on that shoulder. Use both hands for me." Jack glanced at the dark-haired EMT, then returned his gaze to Mac's as he put his other hand on his shoulder and pushed harder. Mac was looking over Jack's shoulder in a daze. He didn't react when Jack added more pressure. "He said he was poisoned with Oleander, he has a wound on his shoulder that was oozing when I got here. A couple of bruises on his torso, and a cut and previous IV line on his right forearm. He seems loopy though. He may have another drug in his system."

Mac's eyes remained half shut and his body was limp as two EMTs assessed the damage. "Sir? Can you hear me?" Mac seemed to move his head slightly, but not enough to be considered a reply. "His name is Mac." The EMT nodded at Jack, and went back to probing his injuries. "Mac. Can you hear me? I need you to open your eyes for me." Mac tried to open his eyes, but only succeeded in shifting his eyes towards the voice and lifting them a fraction of an inch. "Okay. We're going to put you on a gurney and take you to the hospital okay? I'm going to put another IV in your other arm and all it's going to give you is fluids until we find out what else you have in your system." She looked over at the other EMT and they got him up on the gurney. Jack kept his shirt pressed on MacGyver's shoulder per the scary medical lady's order, until they were in the ambulance and she then wrapped it up with sterile material.

Mac's eyes were finally closed in what seemed a light sleep, mumbling something incoherent through the oxygen mask they had placed over his nose and mouth after he passed out. At least, Jack hoped it was sleep. I could be the drugs Murdoc pumped him up with making him pass out. Jack leaned back on the uncomfortable bench in the back of the ambulance and stared at Mac, ignoring all the EMT's mumbo jumbo talk that he didn't completely understand. The trip to the hospital was uneventful, and a team of medical personnel met them at the door with a bed.

Once they got inside the hospital they rolled MacGyver into a room and started hooking everything up to the monitors and their equipment behind the bed. Jack stood back against the wall out of the way, keeping an eye on his pale groggy friend, crossing his arms to keep from doing something rash. The EMT's left the room and the two nurses were left, one checking the chart the EMT's filled out, and one was looking for something in a cabinet towards the front of the room. Jack walked towards the bed, uncrossing his arms to grasp MacGyver's free hand.

Mac was starting to panic. He didn't know where he was, he didn't know where Jack was, he couldn't even be sure Murdoc hadn't caught him again. If he had, then what happened to Jack? Was he okay? Would Mac be able to find his way out again?

His vision was swimming with a black spot like he got oil in his eyes and couldn't get it out. He was blinking slowly, trying to focus his vision. He felt something covering his face, something soft beneath his head, a familiar hand grasping his right hand, a pinch in his left forearm, and the familiar throbbing of his head and torso that came with getting drugged and the crap beat out of you by a murderous psychopath. He tried to say something about the drug Murdoc had pumped through his right arm when he felt a sudden start stabbing pain in his abdomen.

He tried to sit up, gasping for breath, gripping the hand, but he only got his shoulders up before he was being gently pushed back down again. He could faintly hear his name being called, but he couldn't tell who said it, or where it came from. Still unable to breathe, he clawed at the familiar hand and gripped the sheets under him with the other. His right hand was being raised, and a second later he felt a warm, firm chest under a cotton shirt. Slowly, he felt the familiar beat of Jack's heart against his hand, calming him down, and making it easier to draw breaths.

"J-k."Mac managed to croak out, squeezing his eyes shut at the building headache rearing its head behind his eyes. He felt a hand card through his hair and Jack's voice softly speaking near his ear but he couldn't make out any words he was saying.

Jack couldn't stop the helpless feeling building in his chest, as he ran his fingers through MacGyver's hair, watching the nurse draw blood from the IV in Mac's left arm to test it so they could figure out what drugs Murdoc pumped him with. Mac closed his eyes and moaned. "Jack."

"Yeah, buddy. I'm still here." Jack shifted over so Mac could see him better.

"Murdoc. Where.."

"We don't know pal. Searching the sewer you came out of will take days. But don't worry about that right now. You just focus on getting better. I ain't gonna let you outta my sight for two months." Jack squeezed Mac's hand as he watched his friend's eyes crack open and his grimace turn into a momentary sideways grin through the mask covering his face. Mac looked at the mask, crossing his eyes to get a better look, causing Jack's almost permanent worry lines to crack into a smile.

"Don't. Don't bud. Leave it on." Jack said as Mac reached up to take the mask off with his bad arm. Mac looked at Jack with panic in his eyes.

"It's okay Mac. All it's doin' is giving you oxygen. This isn't Murdoc or El Nacho."

"Noche. It's Noche Jack." Mac would have rolled his eyes if he didn't think it would give him a headache. "If you're gonna say it you might as well try and say it right."

Jack smiled. "But it annoys you. You can't deny it. My little 'mispronunciations' annoy and amuse you."

"More like annoyed at this point," Mac said softly, his eyelids drooping from exhaustion. A nurse walked in with a syringe of clear liquid, hidden from Mac's sight,

"We started running a couple of tests on his blood as soon as you came in. One of the simpler tests quickly told us that it was safe to give him antibiotics for oleander poisoning. The sooner we can start treating it the better. Oleander can be fatal if left untreated, but we should be able to stop most of the symptoms before they start." She inserted the syringe into the drip feed on the IV behind Mac. After discarding the empty syringe she washed her hands.

"He may throw up, or feel abdominal pain and lightheadedness. Just press the call button and the nurse on duty will come help." She pointed to the dispenser behind Jack. "If he needs to throw up, take one of those and help him sit up so he doesn't choke on his vomit."

Jack thanked the nurse and she left, promising to come back later with the rest of Mac's antibiotics and blood test results as soon as she could. Jack looked back down at the now sleeping MacGyver. He looked peaceful as he slept, not feeling any pain Jack hoped. Jack pulled up a chair, not letting go of his friend's hand and rested his head on their intertwined fingers, his face towards Mac's.

"I don't know what I'm gonna do with you bud. Maybe I should have them implant a tracker in you when they take you in for surgery in a few minutes. Or maybe put you on a leash and never let you out of my sight. You probably wouldn't like that and would think I was making a kinky joke." Jack sighed. "You're not just gonna make me gray man. I'm gonna go bald. I can't pull off the Bruce Willis look Mac. You need to just stay in a room made of bubble wrap with multiple security cameras so I can make sure you never disappear on me again."

He looked at Mac's sleeping face. "You wouldn't like that either. You don't like being 'contained'. You have too much of your old man in you to ever sit still for more than one Lord of the Rings movie. I'm not saying you're ANYTHING like your dad, cause you're not. But there's no denying that we have our parent's traits. Seems to me like you have more of your mom in you than your dad though. I'd of liked to meet her. The way you talk about her makes her seem like an angel on earth."

"You say she was the sweetest most loving and caring person you've ever seen. I say that about you. Well, maybe not the sweet part. But you love people and you care about others. And you haven't let the world knock you down so far that you become like them. So don't start now bud. Please don't let this change you." Jack was about to say more but just then the doctor and two nurses walked in.

"We're going to take him in now to run some x-rays, and then surgery to patch up that shoulder and treat the burns on his thighs." Jack nodded, not trusting his voice not to betray his emotions. The nurses pulled up the sides of the beds and unlocked the wheels, slowly wheeling him out of the room and into the hallway. Jack sat there for another three hours, waiting for Mac to come back into the room.

During those three hours, he hounded the on-call nurse four times, got three calls from Bozer, two from Riley, two from Matty who told him she was sending a tac team to the hospital and paced the hallway's roughly 15 times until the nurse finally got annoyed with is military precision marching and made him sit back down in Mac's room.

As soon as the nurses rolled him in Jack stood up and walked over to his partner. He was now in a hospital gown, his coloring looked better, he had a fresh bandage across his shoulder where Murdoc had done something to him, the oxygen mask had been replaced by a nasal canal, there seemed to be bandages on his thighs from where Murdoc shocked him, and he was gently reclined upwards, still asleep, making him look like a seventeen-year-old.

"He's in normal sleep. He woke up in recovery asking for you and fell back asleep. He should wake up in a few hours. We got the test results back, and while we don't know the exact drug administered, we know what family it belongs to and we were able to give him anesthetics and a painkiller so he may be a little loopy when he wakes up." Jack looked at the nurse speaking to him, who had been programming the bed and the weird medical equipment. Jack wasn't sure what any of it did besides the IV and the heart rate tracker thing.

"Is he gonna be okay?" Jack asked, slightly worried.

"He's going to be fine. Once he wakes up and we run a few more tests, we'll send the results over to your agency with some pills for him to take for the oleander poisoning, and cream for the burns. We can let him go home with you as long as he makes sure to take the pills."

Jack smiled. "I'll make sure he does. He won't be leaving my sight for a while." He turned to look back at his sleeping partner, smiling a little more at the peaceful smile playing on Mac's lips as if Jack had told a corny movie joke.

"I'll leave you alone. Don't hesitate to press the call button if you need anything." The nurse smiled, then left the room. Jack pulled the chair up again, gripping Mac's hand and laying his head on it like before. Not having slept in over 24 hours Jack's eyelids started closing of their own accord, and Jack didn't fight it now that he knew he didn't need to worry about Mac's safety, he felt the pull of sleep quietly reeling him in.

When the nurse came back in an hour later to check on her patient, she found Jack sitting in the chair bent over, his head on the bed on top of Mac's right hand. Mac looked up at her with bleary eyes and gave her a small smile before turning his head to the side Jack was on and closing his eyes again. The nurse just smiled, picking up the chart and taking Mac's vitals quietly so she didn't disturb either man, walking out with a smile as Jack began to snore softly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think!


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